Terms and conditions

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1. Booking & payments -

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(a) Booking and payment can be made online via this secure website which is managed by Wix for open scheduled events.

(b) The Wix online booking and payment system will not support bespoke bookings for private events or for larger organisational bulk bookings. For bespoke bookings, an invoice will be raised and can be paid for by BACS. There is no administration charge to raise an invoice for private bookings or for larger organisational bulk bookings when paid in full (with the exception of points 1(c), 1(e), 1(f), 1(j) and 1(l) below where applicable).

(c) Should you wish to pay an initial 20% deposit for bespoke bookings for private events or for larger organisational bulk bookings, this will incur a £5 non-refundable administration fee.

(d) If booking within 4 weeks (28 days) of the start of the event, payment must be in full.

(e) Where online booking is available, this is the preferred option. However, if you prefer to pay via invoice or payment over phone those can be accommodated.

(f) The Wix online booking and payment system does not accommodate deposits.

(g) Full payment is due 24 hours before the start of any event at the latest.

(i) We reserve the right to refuse a booking or to make changes to advertised prices until the point of confirmation of your event. If this occurs, we will notify you and if you are not satisfied with this all monies paid will be returned subject to an admin fee (outlined in Point 2).

(j) There is a £10 handling surcharge for cheques for any event which is non-refundable.

(k) If you book a course with a third party, they are directly responsible for payments/refunds and any changes that may occur in regard to your booking.

2. Cancellation / Changes by you - Should you wish to change details of your booking after we have confirmed details, we will do our best to help accommodate you. We will initially offer you a place on the next available equivalent or suitable event where we can and at our discretion. However, should you ask for a refund the following cancellation schedule will be used to ascertain any outstanding fees:

(a) Any refund will be issued by BACS bank transfer so you will need to provide basic account to enable this (account name, sort code, account number).

(b) More than 4 weeks (28 days) prior to the start date and time of your event: We will refund what you have paid.

(c) Within 4 weeks (28 days) of start date and time or during the event:-  Full payment is due and no refund will be given.

(d) If you are late for the start of an event you MUST inform the Centre. Contact details and other information is always given when booking an event. If you are severely delayed we cannot wait indefinitely at the expense of other paying clients and you may not be able to participate in the event/activity at our discretion. If you do not make contact with the centre within 15 minutes of the agreed start time we will cancel your session and you will not receive a refund.

(e) If you don't show up for an event/activity, this will be taken as a cancellation by you and no refund will be issued.

(f) If you decide to leave an event/activity part way through you will not be offered a refund.

(g) No refund will be issued to anyone who causes distress to anyone (instructor, other client or anyone else out with the group) through discrimination. Please see point 6d for more information.

(H) It is strongly advised that you get your own holiday insurance in case you cannot make the event/activity or you feel that adhering to these terms and conditions will be difficult for you.

(i) This is not applicable to our open public sessions, if you wish to cancel a booking this must be done with a minimum of 48 hours or we will not be able to offer a replacement session or refund.

3. Cancellation / Changes by us -

(a) Should we make changes or cancellation due to Adventure Sunderland’s inability to provide resources or staff or when cancellation by others on your course/activity makes continuation no longer viable or practical we will inform you as soon as possible with suggested alternatives. Should these not be satisfactory or suitable for you we will refund all monies within 14 days (by BACS) minus a £5 admin fee (which is taken by Wix). We are not liable for any other costs incurred by you, and strongly recommend that you take out appropriate holiday / travel insurance.

(b) With all the good will and intention, we will try and find venues to heighten the enjoyment of the session however the sessions must also reflect the ability of the whole group and not any one individual. The venue will also reflect the weather and environmental conditions at the time of the session. Should you feel this is not appropriate and decide to terminate your session No refunds will be issued in these circumstances.

(c) We will always strive to provide you with the activity / itinerary stated on your booking form / confirmation however the very nature of the outdoor environment means that the weather and other unforeseen circumstances can often determine that this is not possible. Examples of possible hindrance may be no water / snow, too much water /snow, high winds, landslides, road / river blockage, local access / land management / forestry issues, pollution etc. Any changes we are forced to make due to these or similar circumstances will be based on ensuring your safety and providing you with a quality outdoor experience. We will inform you as soon as we have made an assessment that such a change is necessary so we can discuss / arrange suitably comparable alternative activities / locations / itineraries for your activity / event / course. We will always try and find alternatives but sometimes the nature of the weather means that it is unsafe to take part in certain activities. Refunds are not provided in such circumstances as it is beyond anybody’s control.

(d) Some activities and courses require a minimum number of participants in order to be viable. These are stated on our website. If we cancel the event because of insufficient numbers, you will be offered a full refund, or the offer of an equivalent event on a different date. We are not liable for any other costs incurred by you, and strongly recommend that you take out appropriate holiday / travel insurance.

(e) We reserve the right to refuse your participation if we deem your level of fitness, health or your clothing / equipment is unsuitable for the activity, or if you appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs or you are otherwise behaving inappropriately. This will be treated as a cancellation by you and no refund will be given in these circumstances.

(f) If, due to Force Majeure we are unable to fulfil our contract with you, you will not be due compensation. This relates to extremely unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control which generally affect us all. These can include, for example, war, riot, industrial dispute and / or strikes, civil commotion, disorder, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, malicious damage, fire, flood, epidemic, quarantine restriction or extreme weather conditions which make normal operations impossible to continue or dangerous.

4. Insurance – Although we have full public liability insurance we recommend that you arrange adequate personal insurance cover for activities, holidays and courses. You should note that many travel insurance policies exclude cover for certain sporting activities, so you should carefully check the terms of any proposed insurance policy to ensure that it meets your requirements.

5. Liability – In the absence of any negligence or other breach of duty by us or our employees and agents, you will be responsible for any loss, theft, injury or damage to your own vehicles, their contents fittings or accessories. In the event of a breach of this contract by Adventure Sunderland, we shall not be liable for any loss, damage cost or expense arising out of the breach which was not reasonably foreseeable at the date the contract is made, except in respect of death or personal injury resulting from any act or omission on the part of Adventure Sunderland. Adventure Sunderland will only be liable for loss or damage caused by the proven negligence or default of the company or its employees in performing their obligations under this agreement.

6. Health and Safety – Outdoor adventurous activities take place in varied natural environments where there are natural hazards and risks to manage. Clients must adhere to the instructions, guidance and decisions of our Activity Instructors as they have specialist knowledge & skills and are committed to keeping you safe.

(a) It is your responsibility when booking to ensure that you and members of your group are fit enough to cope with the activity and the environment associated with your booking. Clients must inform us prior to the event of any medical condition / illness / disability (including medication which may affect their performance) on the consent form so we can discuss your needs and make appropriate arrangements. All clients should inform the Activity instructor if there has been any change to the medical condition / illness / disability between completing the consent form and the start of the event. All clients should inform the Activity instructor immediately if they feel unwell during the activity.

(b) Illicit drug use is not permitted prior to, or during our events / activities.

(c) Clients must show respect to instructors / equipment / vehicles / buildings / other clients / wildlife (flora and fauna) and the environment / other hill / mountain / river / etc users / staff / land owners or their employees – Abuse or causing distress to others or loss / damage due to negligence will result in repair / full replacement costs. This may also lead to exclusion from activities / accommodation / courses without refund with immediate effect. The customer is responsible for the safekeeping of all equipment issued for use during the activity/course.

(d) Equality. Discrimination against any other client based on their (for example) gender, sexuality, religion, skin colour, ethnic origin, country of origin is not acceptable on any Adventure Sunderland event/ activity (the example is non-exhaustive). Every client has the right to enjoy the event and learn during any instructed course without fear of discrimination from anybody else. If anyone is causing distress by behaving in a discriminatory manner they will be asked to leave the event and no refund will be issued.

(e) A ‘kit list’ is available by request for specialist sessions. It is your responsibility to contact Adventure Sunderland if there are items which you don't have as we can bring spares along if we have any. If you turn up without the essential kit and haven't informed us of this in advance and we do not have spares, we reserve the right to ask you not to join us should we decide that you are missing essential kit for the particular activity. This is for safety reasons and for the safety of others. You will not be refunded in such circumstances.

7. No Smoking Policy – In England and Wales - The Health Act 2006, and in Scotland - The Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Prohibition of Smoking in Certain Premises (Scotland) Regulations 2006 mean that smoking is prohibited in any building. This includes all Adventure Sunderland buildings and vehicles.

8. Dogs – If you are booking a private/or family activity / event for yourself or yourself with friends that is not a pre-advertised organised event on the Adventure Sunderland website (or social media pages), you are welcome to bring well-behaved dogs. However this must be agreed in writing with the Adventure Sunderland Team prior to the event taking place and must be a suitable activity. They must be equipped with a floatation device to reduce any risk to the animal (this is to be supplied by yourself and not Adventure Sunderland) and the owner will be responsible clearing up and appropriately disposing of dog mess.

9. Use of Adventure Sunderland equipment – With the exception of fair wear and tear, We reserve the right to charge you for equipment provided to you for the activity / event that is lost, damaged or misused. This charge means the full cost of a new replacement or equivalent item of the same standard. If you are unsure of how to use the equipment please ask your instructor.

10. Service and feedback – We want you to enjoy your experience in the outdoors to its fullest, if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service provided by Adventure Sunderland please inform us as soon as possible and we will take appropriate action.

11. Meeting up – Please ensure you are at the agreed meeting point by the agreed time. If you are running late then please contact us, and we will do our best to accommodate the delay, but this will be at your risk and not at the inconvenience of other clients.

12. Final choice of public ‘Open session’ activities – The choice of activities for all events is in the discretion of the instructor. No guarantee can be given that we will deliver a specific activity

13. Photographs and Marketing – Photographs taken on our events may be used on our website, social media pages or other promotional material. If you do not wish to be photographed by Adventure Sunderland or one of our media partners, please inform the instructor as well as tick the appropriate box on the consent form. We cannot be responsible for other people taking pictures and posting them on their social media pages, but if you do not want to be photographed by them please ask people to be respectful of this.

14. Personal possessions – You may leave dry clothes or footwear in our vehicle to change into after the event, however this is at your own risk. We take no liability for loss or damage to your equipment or clothing that you bring with you on our activities.

15. Permits – It is your responsibility to obtain any permits required for any additional activities you wish to undertake whilst on one of our events (e.g. fishing).

16. Safeguarding of children and venerable adults –

a) all staff are trained in safeguarding

b) any visitors falling into this category are overseen by a qualified / trained member of staff throughout their visit.

c) under no circumstances are any parents or careers of visiting children allowed access to changing facilities when there are unsupervised children using them. If a child needs 1-2-1 support in changing then special arrangements must be made in advance. Any one found in breach of this may be reported to the relevant authority.

d) a full safeguarding policy is available from the centre is available upon request.

e) any suspicions of a breach of these policies must / will be reported to the centre manager immediately.

These Booking Terms and Conditions have been updates on the 14/6/2021.

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